Mamá no quiere que yo juegue a la pelota

[bbkerb]

Yo escuché en una canción "La Pelota" que usa "a la pelota" en vez de "con la pelota" o solamente "la pelota". La frase completa es "Mamá no quiere que yo juegue a la pelota." Si entiendes el uso de la palabra "a" en esta frase por favor enséñame para que no me confunda. Muchísimas gracias de antemano.

 

[Agró]

Hola, bienvenido.
Jugar (DPD, punto 2):
jugar, jugarse | Diccionario panhispánico de dudas

 

[User With No Name]

Also notice that "pelota" can be used to refer to the game, not just the round thing. (People from the Caribbean use it to refer to playing baseball.) Just as we can say "to play ball" in English.

 

[fenixpollo]

Although Agró provided a very detailed link, my summary would be that "jugar a" is a standard construction -- especially in peninsular Spanish -- where the "a" is a preposition that doesn't carry a specific meaning but rather is customary or habitual when "jugar" refers to a sport... as UWNN has said just above.

Mamá no quiere que yo juegue a la pelota
Mom doesn't want me to play soccer/baseball/ball

 

[Ballenero]

To play some game is
jugar a...

Jugar a baloncesto.
Jugar (a+el) al ajedrez.
Jugar a las cartas.

Jugar a la pelota is from an adult's point of view, any game children play with a ball.

 

[CuervoGold]

my summary would be that "jugar a" is a standard construction -- especially in peninsular Spanish -- where the "a" is a preposition that doesn't carry a specific meaning

That's ok!